US to Sever AGOA Benefits for South Africa and Rwanda

On 2 November 2026, the United States Trade Representative (#USTR) Jamieson Greer issued a statement regarding the intent of the USA to remove South Africa and Rwanda from the list of countries benefiting from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (#AGOA) as from the 1st of January 2027. The statement follows President Trump notifying Congress and the Governments of South Africa and Rwanda.”

The Office of the United States Trade Representative led the annual interagency review of sub-Saharan African countries’ eligibility for the AGOA trade preference program. Based on the review, President Trump found that the governments of Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices that are inconsistent with AGOA’s eligibility criteria.”

USTR Jamieson Greer

In the case of Rwanda, the US cited deep concerns about trade and investment barriers, human rights, and political pluralism. For South Africa, the reasons are similar but also included corruption and foreign policy divergence. Indeed, South Africa has overtly opposed the USA on certain global issues, sending shockwaves to the White House. So far, the US has not invited South Africa to the G20 Summit to be held in Miami toward the end of the year.